Hidden in Darkness
by Raven59038
Summary: Edward and Alphonse have only heard rumors of shadow alchemy, but then they get the chance to meet a new state alchemist who specializes in this obscure form of alchemy. But what all do her shadows hide for her? RE-WRITE! Read and review, please!
1. Prologue

Raven59038: I know I was pretty far and wasn't updating my story, but upon further review I decided I didn't like where it had gone and wanted to rewrite it so that it won't be so confusing to write. This prologue offers a bit more background that the previous prologue.

Disclaimer: Ha! I wish I owned FullMetal Alchemist. Gods, that would be the day...

* * *

Prologue

A young girl sat on a desk covered in papers with barely legible script covering them, legs crossed with a leather bound journal resting open in her lap. A man finished marking up an alchemy circle and consulted the journal one more time. He dragged a massive steel cage into the center of the circle, careful to not smudge any of the lines. A chimera stuck its paw out, trying to slash at the man's leg.

He slapped the paw away with a frown on his face. "Let us hope this will work this time. My employers are getting tired of my failures." He ruffled the young girl's light brown curls. "Calm the beast down, darling. I can't think with all its thrashing." The girl jumped down, smoothing her dress before walking into the circle. She knelt in front of the cage and stuck her hand through the bars, caressing the chimera's face. The man listened as she hummed softly, the chimera calming and lying down in its cage, purring slightly. "Thank you, love."

She stepped out of the circle and stood behind the man as he placed his hands on the edge of the circle. Light flashed and two animals started crying. "It worked. It worked!" He picked up the girl and spun her in the air. "It worked this time!" She smiled at the man.

* * *

The pair, now older, stood in front of a large manor house, surrounded by steamer trunks. "This is it, our new house. My employers gave me the house in return for my research. This is what we've been waiting for."

"Of course."

The man looked at the girl. "It's a great opportunity for us. I'll get to do more of the research that I want and you'll have a better life than before. I'll make you new pets."

The girl just sighed and walked into the house, the man following her.

* * *

"Darling, I'd like to introduce you to my friend."

"Don't you mean employer?" The girl said dryly. "Either way, good day sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own work to do."

"I'm teaching her alchemy. She seems to do quite well for her age," the man explained to his companion.

"An alchemist you say? Maybe I should give her a gift, to supplement your teaching." The man looked worried as his companion followed the girl's progress with his eyes, a cold, calculating look in his eyes.

* * *

"Why are you doing this!?" The girl struggled against the bonds that kept her tied to a chair, hands apart. Her hair was wild from the struggle before, her pet chimeras lay dead at the doorway.

"Because my employers have chosen you for the next experiment. I have no choice on this. I have to do this." The man rolled open a leather packet filled with syringes and a glass vial. "Besides, this should work. You'll be fine." The girl struggled in her chair, dark brown eyes watching as the man filled a syringe with a glistening red liquid. "Just, stay calm. My employers don't know all the side effects."

The girl screamed as the man came closer. "Don't do this! HELP ME!"

"No one's here to help you. Screaming won't do you any good. Now just calm down." The man inserted the syringe into the girl's arm, injecting the red liquid into her bloodstream. "I'm sorry about this."

* * *

"Where is the girl, doctor? You know you have to give her to us."

"I don't even know if it worked. Don't touch that, please. It's very delicate." The man wrung his hands as several young men examined his living room.

"Our other scientists will figure out if it worked, you've become too invested in this to be useful to your employers now. So, where is she?" One of the men, the leader, grabbed the doctor by his shirt. "She is now the property of your employers and you will regret hiding her. Boys, search the house, seize anything that looks like it might be important."

"What will they do to her?"

"Experiments, I don't fully know because I don't really care. I'm charged with getting her and that's it. But it's your own damn fault for letting your own daughter be used as your test subject." The man struck the doctor in the face. "You will tell me where she is!"

"I don't know where she is. It's a large house, I can't keep track of her all the time."

"Then you are useless to us." The soldier thumbed back the hammer on his gun and pointed it at the doctor.

"Don't hurt my dad!" The girl stepped around the corner, her expression angry. "He may have made me his test subject, but it was your stupid employers who made him do it. You hurt him and you can tell your employers that I'll never help them."

The soldier laughed. "Girlie, you lost that choice when you became a test subject. And I'll prove it to you." The gun went off and the bullet exploded out of the back of the doctor's head.

"Wrong move." The girl was suddenly in front of the soldier. Dark shadows streamed into the man's pores as he screamed. "I'll never work for you. I make my own rules." She picked up a leather bound journal and grabbed other books from the bookshelves before disappearing further into the house.

* * *

She stood in front of the house, two trunks at her feet, staring at it. She sighed and glanced at the shadows that swirled around her feet, growing in the fading light. "Guess it did work. Ah well, time to move again." She lit a match and held it to the torch in her hand. "Good bye father."

She turned, throwing the torch against the house as she did, her trunks floating behind her.

* * *

_(A.N.: This segment is in first person POV. Sorry for the sudden switch.)_

The door to my measly room slammed open, the man behind me radiating anger and disgust. My brown eyes narrowed in on the sloshing bucket and the gloves he wore to protect his skin from the contents. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"None of your-" He threw the bucket's liquid contents on me and everything was replaced with a burning sensation. I couldn't feel anything but the burning.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" It's my voice screaming. I feel so detached from my actions all the sudden. All there is is the pain. My face is on fire. The man is screaming at me, but I can't understand the words. The pain starts to lessen; I can focus on the words.

"HOW COULD YOU?! I TOLD YOU TO GIVE IT UP WHEN I TOOK YOU IN!!" Stop screaming, I thought. I don't let anyone boss me around. "IT'S EVIL! YOU-"

My clapping hands and the look on my face silences him as shadows start to pour onto him. I lock the door behind me as I leave the quivering mass of flesh and this past behind, yet again. An emotion wells up in my chest as I consider burning the place down.

Hatred.


	2. Chapter 1

Raven59038: A new first chapter, with a look at how Raven interacts with Mustang and his group and how Hawkeye and Havoc became to people who Raven got along with best. Hawkeye because she felt protective of Raven, and Havoc because Raven felt drawn to him. Hope you like this version!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I swear. If I did, I would totally draw better than I do now, which sucks

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Chapter 1

"Next up for the practical portion of this year's State Alchemist Exam is Miss Raven Black." Roy Mustang watched as a young woman around Edward's age stepped into the center of the ring. She had bandages around her face and arms, causing Roy to wonder what had caused her injuries. Raven faced her opponent with ease, hands loose. Her opponent attacked first and Raven dropped into a crouch, hands moving together as she dodged his blast of alchemy.

A dark flash of alchemy surrounded the other alchemist as Raven placed her hands lightly on the ground then sprinted towards him, daggers in her hand. '_Daggers? When did she get daggers?_' Mustang thought.

"Yeild?" she asked, daggers placed at the base of her opponent's throat.

'_Old fashioned speech, probably well behaved. I'll see if I can get her in Eastern Command._'

"Good job, Miss Black. That's the fastest I've been beat today, you'll definitely pass." The alchemist shook Raven's bandaged hand as he spoke to her. "Looks like you need to get looked at though, you're bleeding."

Raven glanced at her arm and grimaced. "Thank you, I'll get that looked at."

"Miss!" Raven turned around and faced Roy Mustang. "Can I talk to you about your placement?"

"Alright, as long as you can do it while I get my bandages changed. It'll keep me distracted from being in a hospital. Raven Black," Raven said, walking backwards along the sidewalk.

"Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist. And sure, I can do it then." '_Bet she's cute under those bandages. Be nice to have a cute subordinate in Eastern._' Mustang followed Raven to the hospital and waited as she spoke to the doctor. "Now, Miss Black-"

"Call me Raven. Miss Black is much too formal for someone who gets to see my scars."

"Alright, Raven. I'm a colonel at Eastern Command and seeing as you passed the alchemy test with flying colors, I'd like it if you came to Eastern. You seem to be the type of person who would fit right in with my other officers." Roy was silent as she went behind the curtain to change into a hospital shirt.

"What makes you think that?"

"They're accepting. If you told them not to ask questions they wouldn't."

"It's not the questions, Colonel Mustang," Raven said as the doctor started removing her bandages. "It's the staring that bothers me."

Raven locked eyes with Mustang while the doctor applied a foul smelling ointment to the skin under her bandages. "You are healing nicely, Miss Black. If you are going to Eastern Command, I'll get a batch of the ointment for you to take along with some bandages."

Riza Hawkeye came in as the doctor finished removing Raven's bandages. She gasped as Raven turned her dark brown eyes to her then shook her head slightly, allowing her dark brown hair to fall in front of her scars. "Colonel, they told me you were here. I assume it's not you that's hurt."

"Riza, I'd like to introduce Raven Black, Eastern Command's newest alchemist. Raven, this is Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye."

"I see. Nice to meet you, Raven. Have you received your official assignment?"

"Not yet, Lieutenant. But I assume Colonel Mustang will pull strings to get me into Eastern Command." Raven extended her arm for the doctor to put the bandages on it. "He also says that the soldiers in Eastern would be willing to not stare. Staring bothers me."

"I can help with that more than the Colonel can." Riza stepped closer and lifted Raven's hair from her face. "Do they hurt?"

"Not so much anymore. They used to, though." Raven's eyes were wary as she looked at Riza. "You'll help me fit in if I do go to Eastern?"

"Yes, I will. I will also escort you back to Central Command to get your ruling while Mustang pulls his strings." Riza glanced at Mustang before turning back to Raven. "I'll also help you to keep him from making any moves on you. He's a known flirt, or as our other alchemist would say, a pervert."

Raven smirked suddenly, eyes mischievous. "Really now? This is intriguing. I must learn more."

Mustang gulped, eyes wide as he recognized the wicked humor in her look. '_Dear god, what have I just gotten myself into?_'

* * *

Raven sat in front of the Central Officer, waiting for him to acknowledge her. She kept her eyes on the inconspicuous brown envelope on the desk. "So, you are Raven Black?"

"Yes, sir."

"You showed remarkable ability at the practical portion of the exam. Your interview was flawless, and you passed the test with flying colors. Have you taken this exam before, Miss Black? Or been a state alchemist before?"

"No, sir. I have not, sir."

"I see. And is it your understanding that Colonel Mustang requested you serve in Eastern Command."

"Yes, sir. He spoke to me after my practical examination and expressed his wish for me to serve under him."

"Interesting. Well, there does not appear to be any reason for you to not receive the status of State Alchemist. Let me give you your state alchemist's watch and inform you that you will be tested every so often in order to maintain your state alchemist title."

"Of course, sir."

"Now, for your name. Quite interesting, really. It appears that you are to be called The Shadow Alchemist."

"Really now. Intriguing. May I be excused now? Or is there more?" The officer shook his head, handing Raven the packet with her watch. Raven stood, inclining her head to the officer before heading out.

"Well?" Raven glanced at Mustang before waving her packet in his face. "I see you got the job. Congratulations, you're now a dog of the military. What's your title?"

"Raven Black, Shadow Alchemist. Now, shall we head to Eastern?" Raven hopped into the military car and looked at Mustang and Hawkeye from the window. "Are you coming?"

* * *

Mustang walked into Eastern Command Headquarters with an annoyed look on his face. Havoc and Fuery looked up, Havoc with his customary cigarette in his mouth. "What's up, boss? Ed here?"

Mustang just made a face and went into his office. Hawkeye came in, followed by Raven, who went up to Havoc and removed his cigarette. "Smoking's a bad habit. You should quit." He stared up at the girl as she snuffed out his cigarette. "Kills your lungs, kills you. It's a bad, evil, disgusting habit."

"Who is this kid?"

"Raven Black, our newest alchemist," Hawkeye answered. "She's called the Shadow Alchemist."

"Nice to meet you, Raven. I'm Jean Havoc, but just call me Havoc."

"Do you have a brother named Chaos? Havoc shouldn't be far without chaos." Raven stuck out her tongue and sat on Havoc's desk. "Can I stick with him for now? I want to get him off his nicotine addiction."

"Like that'll happen," muttered Breda.

"I suppose you can. I need to go make sure Colonel Mustang does his paperwork. Havoc, take care of her, then."

Havoc nodded then lifted his hand to Raven's face. She sat perfectly still as he brushed his fingertips against her bandages. "What happened?"

"Punishment, for being an alchemist. But, I can't help what I am. Just, don't stare. Staring bothers me." Raven's face was centimeters from Havoc's as she finished, eyes locked.

Havoc blushed and shoved backwards, drawing everyone's attention. "Ye- yeah, guys. Don't stare at her." Raven grinned, chuckling slightly as everyone else returned to their work. Havoc pulled out his box of cigarettes and Raven frowned before transmuting them into flowers. "Hey!"

"Sorry," Raven said, her eyes telling him she wasn't sorry at all.


	3. Chapter 2

Raven 59038: So here's the new chapter two, though it's using the old chapter one. I just added a bit of stuff and changed some of it. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Ed's owner isn't me, sadly enough

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Chapter 2

Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist, wasn't sleeping on the empty train car for once. He sneered at his brother, Alphonse Elric, and gestured at the files Alphonse was holding. "Stupid Colonel Mustang, calling us back to Eastern Command all the sudden. What was the reason, again, Al?"

Alphonse sighed. "I've told you already. The Colonel thinks that we should meet the new Alchemist at Eastern Command. He thinks that they might be able to help us with our search."

"Whatever." Edward laid down on his seat and rolled onto his side. "Just wake me when we get to the station."

Alphonse opened the files the station master had given them when they had picked up the tickets Colonel Mustang had bought for them. '_It must be important if Mustang is helping us get there._' The files were bereft of a photo and much of a background, but had an explanation of the Shadow Alchemist's, for that was the only name in the file, alchemy. It had something neither of the Elrics had encountered before, a difficult form of alchemy in which the alchemist actually manipulates shadows in addition to normal alchemy.

* * *

Alphonse looked up when the train slowed to a stop. "Big brother, big brother. This is our stop." Edward grunted and retrieved his traveling trunk from the rack. Alphonse followed Edward off the train onto the platform. "Second Lieutenant Havoc!"

Jean Havoc walked over to the two brothers. "Hey there, Ed, Al. How have you guys been?" Havoc laughed at Edward's scowl.

"So, where's this new alchemist?"

They missed Havoc's glance to the side. "Mmmmmm, probably back at headquarters." Havoc lead them to the military car; catching up with Alphonse as he drove. They pulled up in front of the gates and Havoc cut the engines. "Ed…" Edward looked at him as he got out of the car. "Can you do this one thing for me?" Edward nodded, confused. "Don't stare, okay?"

"What do you mean, don't stare? Don't stare at what?" Havoc ignored Edward's inquiry, heading inside the building instead. Edward continued to pester him until Havoc shoved him into Roy Mustang's office, Alphonse already gone off to other parts of Eastern Command Headquarters.

"He's oblivious. And loud." Raven appeared at Havoc's side and crossed her arms, adopting what Eastern Command had realized was her signature pose: hip jutted out, shoulders angled the opposite way, head tilted slightly, a calculating look in her eyes with a glimmer of sarcasm. "Are you sure he's a state alchemist?"

Havoc lit up a cigarette and stuck it between his teeth. "Of course he's the State Alchemist. His younger brother is probably talking to Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Raven knelt down and pressed her ear to the door. "I can't hear anything."

"Bad habit to eavesdrop, you know. The Colonel won't like it."

Raven looked up at him and frowned. "Bad habit to smoke. Ruins your health, Havoc. I thought I was curing you of your habit?"

"I'm sure you can go in now, Edward's probably ready to meet you."

Raven stood, looking at Havoc. She opened the door behind her as she snuffed out Havoc's cigarette. Mustang looked past Edward as the door opened. "Ah, Edward, meet the Shadow Alchemist, Raven Black. Raven, this is the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric." Edward turned around and stared at Raven as she moved to the corner of Mustang's desk before jumping up to sit onto it. "You're staring, Fullmetal."

Edward was indeed staring. The entire left side of Raven's face was covered in bandages, except for her eyes and mouth, though her lips were bandaged as well. Her neck was plastered, but less so on the right side of her neck, and her left shoulder and arm were bandaged as well. Dark brown eyes glittered as she studied Edward. Her dark brown, almost black, hair was styled in such a way as to cover much of her bandages, though the cut was choppy, as if she had done it herself.

"Breathe, short stuff. I'm not much to look at, I know," she said, teasing Edward. Mustang groaned at her sarcasm.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU CAN'T SEE THEM WITHOUT A MICROSCOPE?!?!?!"

Raven laughed, the right side of her face lighting up in a grin. "You are funny. Can I play with him, Colonel?" Upon closer examination, Raven was a few inches shorter that Edward, making her 5'3". She was around the same age as the Elrics. A belt, useless on her tight, black pants, was slung across her hips and her knee high black boots added some height to the petite frame hidden by her large grey and black t-shirt.

"Hey, hey, you're shorter than me so you have no right to call me that!"

"I have someone else to compare you to, little boy, or else you would be right." Mustang winced, Raven was already infamous for her sarcasm after only being in Eastern Command for two long, brutal weeks. "What, Mustang? Am I taking all your fun away? You wanted to join in on the short jokes?" Raven swung her feet back and forth as she sat on Mustang's desk.

"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!!!!!!"

Alphonse knocked and came into the room. It was now Raven's turn to stare as she turned to look at the giant suit of armor. "Ah! You must be the Shadow Alchemist. I'm Al, Alphonse Elric!" Raven was momentarily speechless as Alphonse shook her hand.

"Raven Black, but you can call me Rae." Her eyes measured the two brothers up and a mischievous smile grew on her face, causing Mustang some apprehension. "It's nice to finally meet someone so tall… You must drink a lot of milk." Raven hopped down from the desk and saluted Mustang. "I'm off to get some lunch, sir. Do I have permission to steal Havoc for lunch?"

"Yes, just return him in a timely fashion this time, Rae." She snapped a sarcastic salute and went out the door. They could hear her dragging Havoc out, arguing with him about his smoking habits before Mustang spoke again. "Raven Black, Shadow Alchemist. She showed up at the last State Alchemist exam with those bandages on her, except they were pretty much everywhere. There is a belief that she's involved in an unsolved crime, but given the extent of her injuries and the story she told Havoc when she arrived here, we can dismiss the case as self defense if pushed to solve it. But how she ended up in Central, no one's entirely sure since the village she said she's from is deep in Eastern area. I'll let her tell you anything more and you'll report what you learn to me. But we need someone to watch her and she says she's interested in the stone and what it implies."

"A babysitter? You're making us into babysitters? What do you think we are?"

"I think you are a State Alchemist who will follow orders. She might be able to help, she's got a ton of books in her apartment. Havoc and Hawkeye helped her get set up here in Eastern." Mustang glared at Edward until Edward sighed, resigning to the inevitable. "If you need help dealing with her sense of humor or her personality, you will want to talk to Second Lieutenant Havoc or Lieutenant Hawkeye. They can actually handle her energy, for some reason. Eastern Command doesn't have the personnel to spare to keep her occupied in one place, nor do I have the patience to attempt to deal with her. Since you travel, you get to handle her." Edward and Alphonse looked at each other, wondering what he meant by the patience or personnel to deal with her. "Keep an eye on her for today, I'll let her know her assignment tomorrow. Unless there are any objections?"

"You owe me for this, Mustang. And I collect with interest."

"I fear what that could mean," Mustang drawled. "You'll stay in Eastern for a few days before leaving to give her to opportunity to gather what she will need."

"Whatever." Edward stormed out the door, still fuming over the short jokes. After a moment of hesitation, Alphonse followed his brother out.

* * *

Raven59038: So I'm redoing the story, but I've got a couple more chapters written already. Unless I get 5 reviews, I'm not updating till next week after Anime Expo unless I have any time to post during the event. So, review away!


	4. Chapter 3

Raven59038: Twice as long as the chapter it's based on. I didn't want to take it out completely but I liked the content, so I changed it, added some mystery and a bit of new insight to Raven's mind. Introduces a bit more of the mystery that is Raven a little earlier this time. The italics indicate her talking in a different tone than she normally does, think more ice queen voice than normal teenager voice.

Disclaimer: Edo-kun, that I would have you and you would be mine... ah, dreams are so bittersweet...

* * *

Chapter 3

Raven lay on her back in the park, resting on the park bench. She trailed her right hand down her face, feeling the rough bandages under her fingers. The night had always been kind to her, allowing her to hide or hunt. She could sense the feelings carried on the shadows, the fears those the shadows touched. It was pungent to her, an intoxicating perfume to her senses. Another scent hit her nose, sending her bolt upright, eyes narrowed as she looked around the bench she was on.

The scent was faint, masked by the other odors of the night, but it's source was distinct. The man stumbling towards her, booze on his breath, was secreting the light scent. Raven laughed softly, so as to not startle him as he chose his next mark.

* * *

"She's not doing anything, can't we go back to the room and sleep? Or at least get warm again?" Edward and Alphonse were tailing Raven, on Mustang's vague orders to watch her and Havoc's admission that she was no longer at headquarters. So far she had walked Black Hayate, looked at a few books at a bookstore, ate dinner at a dingy bar, fixed some little girl's toy and now she appeared to be dozing on the park bench.

"Big brother, Colonel Mustang told us to watch her. I don't think we should be giving up just because she's not doing anything interesting right now. We should keep watch-"

"Hey, runt." Edward froze, but the drunk wasn't speaking to him. "It's not safe for a pretty girl to be out by herself after dark."

Edward peeked over the bushes they were hiding behind and saw that her bandages were hidden in the dark night, her eyes glittering from the light a good six feet away.

"_I think I'm fairly safe tonight_." Edward and Alphonse exchanged glances, confusion in their eyes. This wasn't anything like the Raven they had talked to just hours ago in Mustang's office. This voice was darker, hinted at a cold cruelty, but still held the sarcasm that just barely made it Raven.

"Really now?"

"_Oh yes, I do_."

"How much money you got? I want it, give it to me."

"_I think not_." There was a sneer in her voice now as Raven got up from her bench. "_Go bother someone else_."

"Don't turn your back on me, missy!" The man grabbed her arm and started reaching inside his coat.

Edward moved as if to stop him, but Alphonse held him back. "Hold on, big brother. Let's see how Raven's going to handle this."

The air around Raven seemed to drop a few degrees and the night grew darker. "_Don't touch me_." Raven placed the index, middle, and ring fingers of her bandaged left hand on the man's forehead. She moved closer to him and whispered something, her stance and posture rigid, before the shadows seemed to swallow him up. A high pitched keening escaped before the man disappeared. "_I'm going to make sure that you don't bother me or anyone else for a long time_," Raven muttered.

Edward and Alphonse swallowed nervously as they looked at each other again. The Colonel had never mentioned anything like this. It was something else entirely than just being able to do alchemy with shadows. As they continued following Raven, a little farther back than before, Edward realized something. There had been no transmutation circle, no flash of light from an alchemical transmutation, nothing to suggest it was a transmutation at all. But something in his gut told him it was related to Raven's special brand of alchemy.

* * *

Tucked away in a small corner of her mind was an awareness of the man she had trapped in her shadow prison. That same part of her could feel his growing fear as his imprisonment continued. She could almost hear the man screaming bloody murder from the shadows that now surrounded her. Raven felt violated from where he had grabbed her, wanted nothing more than to get into a hot shower and scrub herself clean.

But another part reveled in the emotions projected from him as she turned back on him. The same part of her that felt violated despised the revelry, but knew it was necessary, especially if she was to turn him into the authorities. Raven could also sense the emotions of those following her: Alphonse and Edward Elric. She felt foolish, for letting things get out of hand before she scanned the rest of her surroundings, but knew she could evade their questions by putting them off balance first.

* * *

"Good evening, Raven." The Elrics had fallowed her all the way into Eastern Command Headquarters. Hawkeye had paused to greet the teenage girl as she walked past.

"Hm? Oh, good evening. I don't know where the police are, or if there are any in the city… so can you take care of this?" Raven clapped her hands and the shadows deposited the man from earlier at her feet, a little more rumpled and shaken up than before. "He was in the park, obviously drunk, and attempted to rob me. I took him into custody until I could deposit him here."

"Alright, thank you Raven. That's extremely helpful of you. Who knows how many people he might have disturbed if you didn't bring him in." Raven smiled hollowly as Hawkeye grabbed her handcuffs and secured the man.

"No problem." Raven turned around and headed for the door to Headquarters. "You know, I don't like being followed, Shorty," she called over her shoulder.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SO SMALL IT WOULD'NT MAKE A GOOD MEAL?!?!?!" Edward yelled, face going red.

Raven laughed and turned around to face the Elric brothers. "Man, am I good? I only had a suspicion that you were following me. Did Mustang put you up to this?"

Edward and Alphonse came out of the bushes they were hiding in, Alphonse looking properly ashamed. "Yeah…"

"So he's got you guys joining in his suspicion of me already, I'm impressed."

"What did you do to that man?"

Raven stared at Edward for a moment before turning around. "I'm going to go tell Havoc that I'll see him tomorrow. Care to follow me still or are you done for the night?"

"We're done. What did-"

"Good. Night boys." Raven walked down the hallway, her shoulders slightly stiff.

* * *

"There's a new State Alchemist at Eastern, under Mustang's command."

"Can I eat him?"

"No, Gluttony. Who is the Alchemist, Envy?"

"The Shadow Alchemist, Raven Black. There's not much background in her files and I can't get a good look at her face, she's got bandages all over. Some kind of major injury from before she became a dog of the military. The name, though, sounds kinda familiar for some reason I can't pin down."

"Keep a watch on the girl, either way."

"She's being paired with the Fullmetal runt."

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"No. She'll probably end up becoming another candidate for being a human sacrifice."

"Can I eat her, Lust? Can I eat her? Please say I can eat her."

"If this Raven Black doesn't prove to be useful to our plans or impedes them somehow, then yes, you can eat the new Shadow Alchemist then."

"Goody!"

* * *

Raven59038: Yet another chapter! This one has the same deal as last time, five reviews for this chapter and I'll post then, otherwise it's sometime next week, when I get a chance. So feed me reviews, please! Love you all


	5. Chapter 4

Raven59038: Ah! I'm so sorry this was so late! I had camp a week ago with absolutely no internet or cell access all week, and then I've been busy getting ready to go to college. I swear I wasn't doing this on purpose and I'm so sorry. So here's chapter 4, though I can't remember if I added it or just changed it from the original version.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own it.

Chapter 4

"What was she hiding?" Edward was frustrated as he shoveled food into his mouth. "If it was just a way of transporting people, there wouldn't be anything to hide. But she's hiding something!"

"Big brother…"

"Is it even a transmutation? Is that what she's hiding? Some sort of secret ability? Why would she even hide stuff from us? Is she hiding it from the military too? Should we tell Mustang? Grah! This is so confusing!."

"Big brother…"

"What, Al?"

"Maybe, she's hiding something because she's scared." Havoc sat down next to Edward with his plate of food. "She was injured for doing alchemy. Specifically, her form of alchemy. She's allowed to be scared. So just back off, alright."

Raven sat down next to Havoc and swapped his coffee with her water and sipped it before he could react. "Defending me, Havoc? I'm pleased. Very kind of you." Raven stole Edward's roll and gave him her salad. "I got the news. What do you guys do?"

"What news?"

"I have been assigned to pair with Edward and Alphonse. Mustang just gave me the news this morning when I checked in." She ripped into Ed's roll as he stared at her salad. "What, Eddy? Food transfigure on you?"

"Don't call me Eddy. That's not my name." Ed attempted to switch Raven's salad with Havoc's roll before Havoc stopped him. "Hey!"

"I tolerate Raven stealing my food, but not you." Raven smiled cheekily at Ed as she finished off his roll.

"So, where are you going?"

"Desert mining town. We were going to head there before Colonel Mustang called us back here to meet you. We were going there to look up some local legends about some immortal person."

"I see. Well, I can pack a couple of my books for you to look at if you need. So we could leave in a day or two."

"I guess. Will you answer our question now?"

"What question?" Raven grinned at Edward. She pushed back her chair and picked up her empty tray. "Well boys, this is where I leave you. I've got some errands to do."

Havoc glared at Ed as Raven walked away, her back to them. "What?" Ed exclaimed as he realized what Havoc was doing.

* * *

Raven sat at the small desk, spinning her right hand in lazy circles, as she read the ancient leather-bound book. She pursed her lips, running one bandaged finger under a line of handwritten text. "Damn…" she muttered. "Can't believe that I missed that before. It's so obvious."

She picked up the quill on the desk and unstoppered the ink well next to it. Carefully, she lowered the quill to the worn page and scratched out a notation. Matching the other scrawl on the pages exactly. She sat back when she finished, flicking her fingers at the ink to dry it.

Taking a sheet of new paper, she picked up the quill yet again and set it to the paper, writing in her own flowing handwriting.

'Edward,

'You said you'd be interested in some of my books. I have included some of the books that mention human transmutation and a few of the ones with the legend of the stone within their bound pages. You might also take a look at the ancient journal I acquired, it might interest you. I ask that you do not damage the journal, I was not finished examining it but felt inclined to give it to you.

Raven.'

She placed the journal in the brown package at her feet after checking that the ink was dry. Closing the package, Raven tied a black silk ribbon around it and placed the letter in a grey envelope with Edward's name on it.

Raven stood, then collapsed, her face on fire. Gasping, she attempted to stand back up, but failed as the fire spread down to her hand. She pulled her knees inward and pressed both hands against her face, a stringy sound escaping from her lips.

* * *

Havoc trumped up the stairs to Raven's apartment frowning. She usually came back to Headquarters after doing whatever errands she had and bugged him until he went off duty. Today, after leaving after lunch, he hadn't seen her all day. Hawkeye confessed to not having seen the girl at all, causing him some worry. The doorman to her building had said she came in but he hadn't seen her come out.

"Rae? Kiddo, where are you?" He pressed his ear to the door and could hear something inside. "Rae? You in there? I'm coming in, hope you're alright with me busting the door down." He carefully unclipped his gun and held it as he backed up a few steps before running at the door and slamming his shoulder into it.

Raven was curled on the floor, whimpering as she clutched her face with bloody fingers. "Oh, my God. What happened to you?" Havoc dropped to his knees and started to pry Raven's hands from her face. "Dear lord, your face… you pulled the bandages off…"

"It hurts…" she whispered as Havoc pulled her torso off the floor. "It hurts so much, Havoc."

"I'm sorry, Rae. I'll get you to a hospital, I promise." Raven pulled her face into Havoc's shirt as he picked her up and moved towards the stairs. "Sorry about your door." Raven said nothing but Havoc could feel her pain filled grimace in his chest, along with a agony that had everything to do with the whimpering girl in his arms. He had no idea what was wrong with her, and that scared him more than anything else ever had.

"Havoc, here." Havoc looked up as he jogged along the street and saw Mustang keeping pace with him in a car. "Hawkeye said you were asking if she had seen Raven. She thought you might end up here. I thought there might be some problem if Raven suddenly stopped her pattern."

"I found her curled on the floor, much like she is now. I was going to take her to the hospital. Can you drive us there?"

"Yes. Get in."

* * *

Colonel Mustang watched Havoc sleeping, head resting on Raven's hospital bed, from the doorway. Raven's doctor came up to him, files in his hand. "Well, do you know what happened?"

The doctor shook his head. "No idea. Probably a stress related accident, but to be honest, there's nothing to indicate any trauma. I have no idea what happened to her."

"That all?"

"No." The doctor handed Mustang some pictures. "She had this on her back. None of the alchemists I've shown this to can identify it."

Mustang studied the intricate circle, noting all the shapes and swirls contained within it. "I've never seen anything like it. Did you tell the other alchemists who it was?" The doctor shook his head. "Good. Don't. I'd like her to tell people about this on her own. I have a feeling it wasn't placed there voluntarily."

He turned back to the room and stared at Raven, watching her breathing deepen to a natural sleep as the night continued.

* * *

A.N.: Yeah… not entirely sure where this one came from. But it's definitely different than the last version's chapter. Took me forever to get out onto the computer, but once I figured out where it was going, sorta, it came easier. So.. yeah… there you go.


	6. Chapter 5

Raven59038: Sorry about the long wait between chapters, the end of my summer was hectic. I've moved across country into my dorm room in Ohio, have had several weeks of classes, and basically I was busy. That should be no excuse, because I've been 5 chapters ahead of where I've posted. So sorry.

Disclaimer: HA! I wish.

* * *

Chapter 5

Raven was grumpy when she met up with the Elrics at the train station. She thrust the brown package at Edward and trumped onto the train. "Heard you were in the hospital yesterday." Raven glared at Edward then slumped into her chair.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No." Raven turned her head and looked out the window. "I had a relapse in the pain, is all. Havoc overreacted and I informed him of such. I stretched some scar is all. Triggered the collapse."

Edward whistled as he opened the package. "Jeez, some of these are old. Handwritten too."

"My brother thanks you. He'll be reading those for a long time."

Raven turned towards Edward and froze as a breathe of air passed her face. This time it wasn't a scent but a sense that she felt in the air. It was strong, the source was in the train car. Raven turned to Alphonse, eyes scanning to train. "Huh? Sorry, I missed that. What did you ask?"

"I was wondering how your alchemy worked."

"Well, first of all, I was trained by a woman in my town who could do the same thing." Raven stared out of the window, but not at anything Alphonse could see. "She said I had a gift for it. Shadows are everywhere, what's hard is getting them to do what you want. It's harder than most other types of alchemy, but the basis is much the same. I'm just manipulating something that's not usually thought of as being able to be manipulated. But instead of creating a different substance altogether, the easiest thing is to create a 'shadow' of the thing I'm transmuting. Takes less energy and it creates the same density. Allows the alchemist to also create more of something by including it in the transmutation and then transmuting the shadow in the included object." Raven gripped the arm of her chair as she remembered the flames. "They burned her house to the ground with her still inside it. The townsfolk didn't like her much. My… father forbade me from doing it again because the townsfolk didn't know that she taught me shadow alchemy."

The pause was barely there, Alphonse missed it, but Edward, who had looked up to listen to her story, didn't. "How come you're doing it now then?" Alphonse asked.

"You're adopted, aren't you?" Raven turned back to Edward.

"Um, yes… I didn't realize you knew. And he died a few months ago. I needed something to sustain me, so I trained and took the military exam. It wasn't all that hard, pretty easy actually, especially considering the little cockroach here passed it."

Edward, distracted by Raven's comment, shot up. "I'M NOT A COCKROACH!!!!!!!!!!!" Edward aimed a punch at Raven's arm. Smiling, she pushed her legs against the train wall and scooted past the punch.

Raven laughed as Edward shook his hand out after hitting the train. She froze as the sense hit her again and she noticed one of the passengers. "Sit back down, Ed. Just, be quiet and don't draw attention, please," she pleaded. 'Shit, how did they find me? Do they even know it's me? I swear I left no trails from last time to indicate where I was going, they shouldn't have been able to figure out where I was so fast…' Her hair hanging in front of the non bandaged side of her face, she slid in next to Alphonse. "When do we get off?"

"Next stop, why?"

Raven glanced over her shoulder then turned back, shaking her head. "I thought I saw someone from my old town. They got mad at me right before I left the town. I don't want to run into any of them now that I'm a dog." 'A lie, but also part truth. I do wonder why they're here, they don't seem to have spotted me, but the bandages do give me a kind of disguise, I will admit that. It has its uses.' Raven watched Edward turn back to the books. 'Could they be following them? I got the sense that they're hiding something big, but who am I to judge them?'

"Raven-"

"Rae."

"What?"

"Call me Rae, Raven's a mouth full. I'll call you two Ed and Al."

"O… kay… Rae, what's under those bandages?"

"My last gift from my father." Raven grimaced as anger coursed through her. "Not something I necessarily like to talk about." Raven leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, therefore ending the conversation.

* * *

Raven dropped from the train and glanced around her, eyes taking in her surroundings. An image formed in front of her vision and sounds that had nothing to do with the ones she currently hear rang in her ears.

_A night time setting, against mountains much like the ones she was looking at. People were running through the town, their feet making quiet padding noises against the hard sand sidewalks, and doors were slammed shut as a teenage girl stalked through the streets, a writhing black cloak hiding her form, booted feet striking against the stone street, each note increasing the villagers' fear.. 'Smert' Ledi! Smert' Ledi!' the people called quietly ahead of her, alerting each other to her presence. One man stumbled and fell in the girl's path and she seemed to float over to him, feet suddenly quiet as his fear increased exponentially every second._

_She bent over, one pale hand emerging from the writhing cape to caress the man's fearful face. 'YA sozhaleyu delat' eto, no eto neobhodimo,' she whispered to him. The man attempted to scoot backwards, avoiding the face that moved towards his before the scene blacked out._

Raven's eyes widened as the scene ended, staring at the mountain background in shock. Hand went to her mouth as she examined the village. "Hurry up!" Raven shook her head, lowered her hand, and sped up to catch up to the Elrics. "What were you doing, daydreaming?"

Raven sneered inwardly as Edward turned back to the front and kept walking. 'Yeah, Ed, something like that,' she thought, her inner voice sarcastic, with a touch of something darker.

* * *

Edward gaped as Raven came out of her room and joined them on the landing before they went to dinner. She had pulled part of her hair up, but left half of it hanging damply, pieces in front still covering the left side of her face. The dark blue buttoned shirt fit her figure and rested just above the waist of her dark jeans. Bandages still covered most of her left forearm, but Edward could see marks that looked like drops of liquid had splashed her.

"What? Didn't expect me to wear those ugly baggy t-shirts all the time, did you? I'm starving."

They went downstairs to the restaurant portion of the inn they had chosen, Edward strangely silent as Raven ate ravenously. A tap on the shoulder froze her as she looked up, brown eyes guarded.

"You are injured, dark one. Is all well?" Raven nodded slowly, staring into the clear blue eyes of the elder woman who stood next to her. "My tribe wishes to invite you to our fire this moon rise, dark one. The golden one and the warrior are invited with you."

"We would be honored to join you at moon rise, great lady. Might we inquire to the event?"

"We dance to honour our dark lady. She has not set her wrath on our tribe since we began to dance for her."

Raven stood and set down her napkin. "Might I learn your dance?"

"We wished you would ask, we needed a dark child to join us."

Raven turned to the boys. "I'll see you later. Someone will come find you at moon rise."

* * *

Notes: Smert' Ledi- Lady Death; YA sozhaleyu delat' eto, no eto neobhodimo- I regret doing this, but it is necessary

A.N.: This is a combination of old and new. The train ride is taken from the old version, and I added the vision/hallucination, and the tribe. Hope you like the change. Next chapter will be moon rise.


	7. Chapter 6

Raven59038: Because I was so slow and felt so bad about the long wait, I'm posting two chapters tonight! Aren't I awesome?

Disclaimer: I have Ed on my walls, but I don't own him...

* * *

Chapter 6

A young man came up to Edward and Alphonse and nodded to them. "Golden one, Warrior, the Dark One asked me to fetch you. Moon rise is coming swiftly. We must move with winged feet."

"What's with their weird talk? Even Rae was doing it."

"Shush, brother. I get the feeling that this is a big thing to be invited to." Alphonse placed a restraining hand on his older brother's shoulder. His voice was quiet as he spoke. "Raven's reaction was strange when they spoke of the dance they were doing."

"Whatever. You know, we could have been searching for those legends right now." Edward swore as a hand came out of the dark and whacked him on the head. "Hey!"

"Don't disrespect this, Ed. This is huge. Besides, if there's any legends you need to hear, they probably have it or know of it and can point you in the right direction." Raven frowned up at him, standing on her bare toes.

"What's with the costume?" Edward asked, gesturing to Raven's black dress and designs scrawled across her limbs.

"Part of the dance. It's supposed to represent the way the legends speak of their dark lady." Raven sounded uncomfortable as she answered Edward. "Just sit down. Once this is over, you can ask questions." She moved over to the fire near the drummers at a word from the elderly lady who had first approached them in the inn.

The man who fetched the Elrics sat by them. "The Dark One will do the dance to keep our Dark Lady's wrath from this village. It keeps the Lady's hunger at ease by using a substitute to act as the Lady would."

"Who is your Dark Lady?"

The old woman looked sharply at Edward. "She is the fear eater. Hush, you shall see our Lady. Your Dark One has an aptitude for our dance."

The drummers started up a soft beat as an even younger girl entered the fire, wearing a white dress, more whole than Raven's tattered one. Her blond hair shimmered in the fire as she twirled around Raven, who stood with her eyes closed. The young man next to the Elrics startled them as he yipped right before another drum began a sharper beat with a distinct pattern, like boots striking stones.

The blond girl's dance became more frantic as Raven began moving fluidly. Her feet danced a pattern against the hard dirt. Edward frowned, noticing a strange emotion in Raven's eyes as she tracked the young girl. She moved closer to the girl, eyes unblinking, still dancing to that strange pattern.

The young man gasped and muttered something in a different language. "What?" Alphonse asked.

"She knows the old dance. The dance as it was first danced. Elia knows not what to do now. This is a good sign. The Lady favors us this dance. We shall be honored for this." The drummers ended as Elia, the blonde, fell, Raven reaching towards her.

"You did well, Dark One. Your friends may now ask their questions." Raven seemed to realize where she was suddenly and straightened. "I will answer them whilst you change."

Alphonse waited for his brother to begin his questioning, but when he didn't, he looked at Edward. He was frowning into the fire, seemingly confused by what he had seen. "Well… is the Dark Lady a deity or something?"

"Deity? No. She is our immortal, the Fear-Eater, the Eternal Youth. Always young, always dangerous. She came in the dark surrounded by a blacker than black cloak and fed on our ancestor's fears."

Raven walked back towards them. Edward stood up abruptly, startling Alphonse. "Thank you for your help. I think we're going to go back now." Raven and Alphonse looked at each other before bowing to the old woman and hurrying off to catch up with Edward.

"What's your problem, pipsqueak? Ants in your pants?"

"I'M NOT A PIPSQUEAK!" Edward took a deep breath. "No, it's just I don't think we're going to find anything here. Their legend sounds more like a homunculus than a human with a stone. Which means we're right back where we started, Al." Edward sighed dejectedly. "We'll leave in the morning. There's another town I'm wanting to look at."

"Alright," both Alphonse and Raven said.

* * *

Raven stared at her bags, feeling uncomfortable about Edward's silence last night. Opening one of the harder small bags, she looked around before making a pulling motion with her hand, removing the shadows that hid a few sheets of paper. She removed the papers and looked at them, reading the scrawled lines. She scanned over the pages, a few words catching her eyes: _stone, daughter, experiments, unknown results, blood, philosopher's, tattoos, homunculi_. Raven sighed, then put the pages back, fingers brushing against the different handwritings.

A knock interrupted her, and she quickly shoved the bag closed. Whirling, Raven stood and crossed to the door. She recognized the young man who had sat next to the Elrics at the fire circle last night. "Yes?"

"We wanted to thank you, mistress. Your help will keep our tribe safe."

Raven's eyes narrowed as she spun the guy into her room and slammed him against the wall, shadows shoving the door closed. "If you can't do something right, idiot, you shouldn't attempt it at all." Raven brought her face closer to the boy's. "Got it, fool?"

"I was right, it is you. I didn't mention it to anyone else because I wasn't sure. How did you know, anyway?"

Raven sneered, eyes frozen with a mixture of hate and disgust. "You can't even pay attention enough to know how he talked. Besides that, you have such an obvious stench."

"Shut up, wrench." The boy shifted shape, and Raven lifted the arm that held him against the wall higher, leaving his feet dangling. "Urgh," Envy grunted.

"What was that? You'll leave me alone and stop trying to involve me in your schemes?" She let up slightly.

"You think this constant running will keep you safe? You just stumbled into our biggest scheme yet."

"Running had worked for me for a long time, you idiots couldn't find me."

"Wish we hadn't. You look damn ugly, old hag."

Raven snorted. "You can talk bad about me all you want, I still say you're jealous of my old style. And Envy, I forget. Are you supposed to be a guy or a girl?" Shadowy tendrils reached out from her hair and kept Envy's mouth open. "Why are you here?"

"To watch our human sacrifices! Get your freaky shadows away from me!"

Raven froze, nostrils flaring as she moved closer to the squirming Envy. "Do you smell that?"

"Rae! Hey, you about ready?"

"Yeah! Give me a sec!" Raven yelled, voice normal. "You, leave. Tell no one that I'm here. Or I'll rip your disguises from you one by one. You know I could." Envy scrambled out the window, moving silently, as Raven slammed the last of her bags shut, shoving the ancient papers inside. She opened the door and looked up at Alphonse.

"Wow… that was fast."

"I was almost done when you knocked. Where are we going to next?"

"Mmm, probably Dublith. We were talking last night and decided we should probably go see our teacher there."

"Alright. Dublith… sounds like a quaint town."

"Yeah. It's fairly small, but you might like it."

"Maybe. Now, where's your brother?"

"Ed? I think he's downstairs begging food from the cook."

Raven grinned and shoved her books out of the room. "Now that sounds like a good idea."

* * *

A.N.: Again, a little different. The dance part was inspired by Green Day's song, Extraordinary Girl. Don't ask how it was inspired, just that I got this image in my head. So… yeah…


End file.
